


Love Like Waves - part2

by cofie, Welsh_Woman



Series: Love Like Waves [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Disney-ish, F/M, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Merman Scott, Merman Stiles, Romance, Werewolf Derek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-08-27 04:38:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8387479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cofie/pseuds/cofie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welsh_Woman/pseuds/Welsh_Woman
Summary: Part two of the Mer!Stiles story where Stiles and Derek work together to save Scott from being sold on the supernatural Black-Market.--A Disney-esque mer!stiles/sterek collaboration!





	1. Chapter 1

\---

Stiles stares at the vial in his hand, potion inside supposedly able to transform his body to a mimic of the other Landers, trying to convince himself to drink the contents and help Derek find a way to rescue Scott.

Heaving a sigh, he twists it this way and that in an effort to catch the sunlight as he studies the potion for an innumerable time that day. There are flecks of color in its emerald depths; reds, blues and purples that remind him of the sand grains that flow along the ocean floor.

He can only hope that it doesn’t taste the same…

Ms. Morrell had been very vague about the entire process of how this was supposed to give him legs like Derek and the rest of the humans, only a cryptic muttering about ‘having to keep a balance’ but then again, Stiles hadn’t really been paying any attention past how it could help him save his best friend and bring him back to the sea where he belonged.

If there were any nasty side effects, like an aversion to salt or weird things growing from places they shouldn’t, then that was on Stiles’ inability to focus past whatever his mind was set on at the time.

Part of him thinks he should wait for Derek, to tell Derek about the potion and what it can do, but another part of him knows that Derek will just take the vial and hide it so that Stiles won't ‘get hurt’.

“More like ‘won’t get in the way’.” Stiles mutters and then immediately feels bad for thinking that way of Derek; he _had_ seemed genuinely worried about Scott and more than willing to help, it was just frustrating that he was unwilling to let _Stiles_ help as well, even though it gave him a warm feeling that Derek cared so much about his safety that he was willing go up against the Argents for him.

Is it really so unreasonable that Stiles feels the same way? Or that Scott is just as important to Stiles as Derek is? Granted, if Derek was the merman and Stiles was the werewolf, he probably would be just as adamant that Derek stay where it was safe while Stiles took care of everything…

Groaning, Stiles runs a hand through his hair in frustration; he isn’t getting anywhere with this circular thinking and all he’s doing is making his head hurt! He has to make a decision _now_ , not whenever Derek gets here, before something terrible happens to Scott!

With another heavy sigh, Stiles shifts on the rock that he was lounging against to pull the cap from the bottle before he second guesses himself, tries not to smell the potion inside as he brings it up to his mouth, and downs the entire contents in one long swallow…

…only to slap a hand over his lips in an attempt to keep the potion from making a reappearance, gag reflex and stomach violently fighting to remove it from Stiles’ body.

Ugh, it tasted like kelp roots and shark dung!

(And no, Stiles doesn’t _really_ know what shark dung tastes like and he doesn’t really _want_ to know, but he’s pretty sure that it can’t be worse than what’s in his mouth _right now_.)

It takes a few minutes of breathing deeply and thinking of delicious tasting foods, but Stiles somehow manages to keep the potion down and not bring everything he ate in the past three days up, swallowing down some saliva a few times for good measure.

Blinking the tears from his eyes, Stiles contemplates drinking some water to see if that will help with the taste, but a sudden chill in his tail distracts him before he can do more than drop the vial to his lap.

The cold grows until it feels like his tail is actually frozen from the tip of his fins to the dorsals at his naval, causing Stiles to quickly swim to the shore while trying to fight down the panic he can feel creeping up on him at the thought that this was all an elaborate ruse by Ms. Morrell to make it easier for Gerard and his ilk to end up with more than one merman.

He prays to Poseidon that he’s just grasping at waves, that he’s just letting his worry and fear of the strangeness that is happening to his body get to him, making him think of the worst that could possibly happen.

Then the first bit of pain hits him, a sharp, stabbing ache that spreads from the middle of his tail, making Stiles cry out at the sensation of his lower half violently splitting in half and he stops thinking altogether…

\------------

“I’m late, I’m late, I’m _so_ late, I’m so _late_ …” Derek is half panicked as he exits the car that Stiles has decided to go after the Argents on his own and half afraid that Stiles thinks that he just decided not to help at all, considering that this is the third time that he’s been tardy to these meetings.

Although, technically, it wasn’t really his fault this time; Derek had been talking with his mother about possible ways to find out where Scott had been taken and if there was someone on the inside they could bribe to give them information.

He had been so focused on trying to help Stiles with saving Scott that it had taken his father commenting that he needed to go into town to get things for dinner for Derek to realize the time.

He had sprinted to the car, apologizing to his mother for running off in the middle of their conversation and calling out that he would be back in time for dinner, before speeding as fast as he could for the beach where he and Stiles meet.

Now, here he is, pulling his jacket tighter around him as a biting wind cuts across the seaside and there is no familiar flash of fins to greet him, no laughter leading him further into the waves.

Trying not to remember that the last time that Stiles was late to their meeting, Scott got kidnapped and it almost sent Stiles into a panic, Derek braces against the wind and calls out. “Stiles?”

Silence answers.

Derek decides to walk a little way along the shoreline, hoping that Stiles just got caught up with his family like Derek did, that there is a reasonable explanation for why the merman that seems unable to keep quiet is not answering his calls.

“Stiles? Where are you? Stiles!”

Almost as soon as he turns around the last rocky outcrop that shields the alcove he met Stiles in for the first time from the road, Derek finally spots the merman sitting on the shoreline, pale legs tucked up underneath him and arms crossed in front of his chest in an attempt to stave off the cold.

Wait a minute… _Pale legs?!?_

“Oh my- What on Earth!?”

Derek immediately starts running toward Stiles, jaw dropped in shock as another wave crests over what are undoubtedly _human legs_ connected to Stiles’ waist where his tail used to be.

There are a thousand questions bounding through Derek’s mind-a lot of them starting with **_How??_** -but right now he’s more concerned with the naked boy sitting on the shore.

His footsteps splash through the surf as he gets closer, Stiles’ head slowly turning towards him almost as soon as he makes it to the younger man’s side.

“Oh! Derek!”

“Stiles! What have you done?!” Derek quickly strips off his jacket, grateful that he has something to cover Stiles with, as a closer look reveals that Stiles’ face is almost completely red from the cold and there are tremors that travel through his body at random intervals.

A wave of guilt hits Derek in the chest; how long had Stiles been sitting out here, waiting for him?

Wrapping his jacket around Stiles’ shoulders, Derek flinches a little when Stiles embraces him and presses his chilled nose against Derek’s neck with a croon of, “Ooooooh, you’re so waaaaaarm!”

Rubbing at Stiles’ arms to try to get him to warm up faster, Derek tries not to think about what could have happened as he asks, “Are you completely insane?! You could have froze to death!”

Stiles gives him a confused expression at that, one that has a bit of hurt in it as well, and Derek takes a moment to make his thoughts calm down and focus on the fact that Stiles is a _merman_ , sitting in the sea as he waits for Derek is _completely normal_ for him.

There is no reason why Stiles would think otherwise now that he has a human body, despite the fact that his paleness and inability to stop shaking is upsetting for Derek, so he can’t really blame Stiles for acting like everything's normal.

Heaving out a sigh, Derek shakes his head and decides to be grateful that Stiles is relatively safe as he moves his hands to brace the now-human boy, his voice soft as a sudden thought occurs to him. “Come on, it's freezing out here. My car is warm and only a little ways up the beach. Can you… can you walk?”

“Walk? No… I-” Stiles cuts off as he looks down at his legs, lower lip caught between his teeth in a way that makes Derek think that there may have been a few attempts at doing just that, but not a lot of success.

Eager to get Stiles out of the water and somewhere warm to make the redness dusting his cheeks go away, Derek leans over and scoops Stiles up into a bridal carry, biting back a smile at the way that it makes Stiles squeak and tighten his grip on Derek’s neck.

Glad to be moving toward the car and warmth-despite the fact that he’s wearing one of his favorite sweaters, the wind has picked up enough that he’s starting to feel chilled and he can’t imagine how cold Stiles is feeling-Derek still has words to say about this new development.

“We’re still going to have a talk about this reckless act of yours!”

Stiles’ response is immediate and, unsurprisingly, an argument. “But this way I can help!”

“No, Stiles! You can’t even walk!”

“I’ll learn! In no time!” Off of the incredulous glare that Derek gives him, Stiles puffs up his cheeks and chest as much as he can in Derek’s arms, “I will! Just you wait and see!”

“That’s-” Derek was going to point out that it usually takes babies months-if not years-to learn how to walk and that Stiles basically has the coordination of a baby right now, but another full-bodied shiver from Stiles cuts off his words. “Oh, never mind. I’ve got towels and spare clothes in the car, we’ll just worry about warming you up for now.”

Stiles seems willing to let the matter lie for now and easily settles back against Derek’s chest, head tucked underneath Derek’s chin in a way that makes the guilt from earlier reappear.

“I’m sorry for being late.” Derek looks down at Stiles and sees that his eyes are closed, the redness on his cheeks dimming into his regular color. He’s still far too pale and the tremors are still shaking his form, making a lump grow in Derek’s throat. “If you catch a cold…”

“It’s okay, Derek.” Stiles’ voice is a slow murmur as one hand comes up to grasp at Derek’s shirt, right above where his heart is slowly returning to its normal rhythm now that Stiles is on his way to being safe and cared for. “You’re here now. I’ll be fine.”

Derek can’t help but tighten his grip at that, determined to make sure that Stiles stays that way as he lets the boy’s contented sigh of happiness at Derek’s warmth sooth the worry that had plagued him.

\----------


	2. Chapter 2

Getting Stiles to the Camaro and settled in is easy enough, getting him to hold still long enough to dry off is another thing entirely, as he immediately starts poking at everything inside the car in an excited fascination that would be amusing at a time that Derek isn’t trying to keep him from getting sick.

“What are these buttons for? Why do you need those strange sticks on the front? What is the stick in the middle for? And you have sticks on the floor, too! Why are there so many? Do other cars have less? Do other cars have _more_?”

Focused more on making sure that Stiles gets into some warm clothing and not on answering his questions, Derek is nearly bowled over when Stiles somehow manages to turn the radio on and immediately leaps into Derek’s arms as soon as the first note blasts through the air.

It’s a bit of a scramble at first, but Derek manages to keep his footing and not send them both tumbling into the rocks under his feet, so he’s a little distracted when Stiles exclaims, “Derek! You have _sirens_ in your car?!?”

Derek blinks at the question, a little thrown by trying to figure it out while also making sure that he didn’t fall over from the sudden weight in his arms, before he realizes that Stiles means the mythical creature and not the police tool. “Wait, Sirens are _real_?”

So, yes, it takes a little while for Derek to get Stiles dry and dressed, but then they’re settled and Derek starts up the car, which sets off another stream of questions-

“Your car has a humpback’s call! Can you talk to it to?”

“No…” Derek thinks about that for a second, and then amends himself, “Well, yes, but not because I understand it… You ride on humpbacks?”

“Yeah!” Stiles smiles at a memory, his waving arms and chatter showing he was well on his way to warming up, “They’re really nice to talk to and sometimes it gets tiring swimming everywhere, so they’re more than willing to let anyone have a ride as long as they’re going in the same direction and the Aquatic asks politely…”

-and Derek thinks that they’re ready to head out when that line of conversation finishes, but Stiles gets distracted by the fact that the Camaro had _heated seats_ -

“It’s like the sunning rocks, but softer! How is this _possible_?!?”

-but they head towards Derek’s house soon enough, Stiles happily chattering on about humpbacks, the herd of seahorses that gathered near his home (a strange event that had Stiles wondering what it could possibly mean for the better part of the drive), as well as the note that he left for his father to explain his sudden disappearance.

“I mean,” Stiles shifts slightly in his seat, a sharp note in his scent that tells Derek he’s feeling guilty, “It’s not like I haven’t gone off for a few days at a time before, and I sure with the help of your family that we’ll get Scott in no time, it’s more that I hate lying to him… I just know that he’ll worry and if I told him what I was doing, he’d make me stay home until the winter tides turned into summer waves three times over!”

“Sounds like a reasonable man.” Derek quips, which just makes Stiles give him an offended face, but it doesn’t last long before Stiles is off and chattering again, asking about the various things that whip by as they drive and the multiple things the car can do.

Derek is just pulling onto the road leading up to his house when a sudden shift in Stiles’ scent has his gaze jerking over to the boy’s almost before Stiles’ panicked, “Derek, there’s something wrong with my legs!” makes it past his lips.

Grateful for the fact that there’s no one on the road and he can drive well enough to look over Stiles’ form for a quick moment, Derek can’t see anything wrong with him with a quick glance.

Then again, he _is_ a merman that now has legs, so Derek doesn’t really know what could be considered ‘wrong’ in this case…

Stiles is now shifting even more in his seat, his scent souring even farther the more panicked he gets, his face scrunched up in pain. “I don’t- I can’t- They feel all tingly, Derek! What do I do?!?”

Derek has never felt more grateful to see his house then he is in that moment, shifting the car as quickly as he can to turn into the driveway as Stiles’ breath starts coming into short gasps beside him. “Hey, Stiles, calm down! Give me something to go on here! What do you mean by ‘tingly’?”

“I don’t know! This was such a bad idea, I should have listened to you, this is almost as bad as when I transformed in the first place…!”

Derek’s nerves are starting to get even more frayed the more Stiles panics, so much so that when he’s left the car to make his way to Stiles’ side to open his door and put his hands on Stiles’ legs to see if he can pull the pain, his nerves are at the point that Stiles’ next exclamation has him shouting in response.

“Poseidon help me; my legs are going to fall off!”

“They’re not going to fall off, Stiles!”

So focused on helping Stiles and trying to figure out what was happening, Derek completely missed the fact that someone had come up behind him until there is a call of his name, making him jump as he looked over his shoulder to see his father leaning against the doorway of their house with an expression that says that he isn’t sure if he should ask what's going on.

Sighing out in relief and a way to release the stress that had built up during the drive, Derek focuses back on his… his Stiles, chuckling at the wide-eyed look that the merman is giving his father.

Granted, his father _is_ a bit of an intimidating man, but the fact that he’s wearing an apron that has splatters from the food he was cooking- ** _Food that he probably needed to scrounge up because I never went shopping_** , Derek thinks with a wince-kind of makes it hard to take him seriously.

“Dad, this is Stiles. Stiles, this is my father, Bruce.” Derek makes the introductions, glad that the distraction of his father has made whatever problems Stiles was having with his legs disappear for the moment.

“Hello, nice to meet you!” Stiles gets over his shock quickly enough, hopefully because he knows that Derek’s father is someone that he can trust, and even goes as far to give the man a little wave.

“Nice to meet you too,” Bruce’s eyes rove over the pair of them again, and his lips quirk into a smile that has Derek worrying about the next thing that comes out of his mouth. “I have one question…”

Knowing what’s coming will undoubtedly embarrass both Stiles and himself, Derek tries to cut his father off before he can get started, “Dad, I know how this looks, what with him wearing my clothes and all, but-”

“Do you like Italian food?”

Derek blinks at the non-sequitur, looking over to Stiles to make sure that he didn’t miss anything, but Stiles is giving him the same befuddled expression before he shrugs and asks, “Um, I don’t know? Is it any good?”

Bruce’s grin just gets wider, making Derek take back his earlier thought of his father not being an intimidating person as he laughs out loud. “You bet it is! I’m just about done with the lasagna, so you boys can finish… whatever it was you were doing.”

“Dad!” Derek knows that his father knows that nothing was going on, enhanced noses and hearing telling him that long before he left the house, and Derek also knows this was just a way of messing with him that he does _not_ appreciate.

“Dinner’s in fifteen, boys,” is his father’s only response, already heading back into the house, where Derek can hear his mother laughing in the living room, which just makes him feel _so much better_ that his _mom_ heard all of that.

“Okay.” Derek mutters glumly as his mother’s laughter gets loud enough to be heard for normal humans, giving up on all sense of dignity for the rest of the evening.

“It was really nice to meet you!” Stiles calls out to Bruce’s retreating back, either completely unaware of the innuendo that Derek’s father made, or simply ignoring it. Derek wishes that he had found a way to master that particular skill, _especially_ with his family… “Thank you for inviting me to dinner!”

“Well, he has good manners, I’ll give him that.” Talia chuckles, making Derek thump his head against Stiles’ legs, no doubt making him wonder why Derek is acting so oddly…

It’s going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papa Hale's design was created by [Monkeyelbow](http://monkeyelbow.tumblr.com) and she allowed us to use it! :D Thank you so much!
> 
> [WelshWoman](http://welshwoman1988.tumblr.com/) & [Cofie](http://littlecofiegirl.tumblr.com) @ Tumblr


	3. Chapter 3

Derek lifts his head after a few moments to give Stiles an apologetic smile and to let him know that the weird feeling in his legs was probably a cramp. He follows it up with an apology for his father, as if the man himself was something that needed explanation.

“It’s okay, I like your dad!” Stiles is quick to point out, deciding to wait until later to ask what a cramp is, which just makes Derek drop his head again. Yet, before Stiles can find out if he can get away with running his fingers through Derek’s hair, Derek is raising his head and telling him that his mother is calling them into the house.

Stiles nods and tries to stand, only managing for a few moments before stumbling back into Derek’s arms, frustrated at his inability to get this ‘walking’ thing down and the grin that he can see on Derek’s face.

  


“Stop laughing! This is the first time I’ve ever tried walking, you can’t expect me to be perfect!”

“I’m not laughing, Stiles, I swear. I’m sure that I’d be just as bad at swimming if we found out a way to give me fins.” Derek placates, which makes Stiles-who had tried balancing on his own again-nearly fall into the strange dirt going up to the house because _Derek_.

With a _tail_.

 _ **It’d probably be blue**_ ; Stiles thinks dizzily as Derek once more lifts him up into the werewolf’s arms and makes his way through the entryway that Bruce just went through, muttering things that Stiles is sure are for his parent’s ears only. _**It’d be** beautiful **if it was blue.**_

His musings are cut short right as he’s imagining introducing Derek to _his_ father when they enter Derek’s dwellings, as the wide, open area takes Stiles by surprise; the caves that he lives in with the rest of his pod are relatively _tiny_ in comparison and despite what Derek has told him about his family, he wasn’t expecting _this_ amount of grandeur...

“Wow! Your place is so big!” Twisting around in Derek’s grip, Stiles takes in the drawings on the wall that depict Derek in various states of growth, what look like a younger and older sister beside him also in various poses and emotions. “Are there many of you? Does your entire pod live here?!?”

Derek chuckles at Stiles’ questions, despite them being perfectly reasonable, before he shifts his grip and answers, “No, we only all gather here whenever there’s a special occasion or an emergency. The only ones that live here now are my parents, my sisters, and myself.”

Stiles hums to show that he was listening, his attention caught on the sticks that are to the right of the incline that Derek is climbing, stretching out his foot to press against it, the smooth texture feeling odd against his bare feet and making him hum again as they move upwards.

“This- uh… This is my room.” Derek seems a little quiet as he enters the smaller space, moving to place Stiles on an absolutely _fluffy_ object before turning to the other side of the room and digging around in a box shaped thing that had many openings.

Stiles takes a few moments to fall back and just enjoy the feeling of the object under him-this and the ‘sweater’ he’s wearing are quickly becoming his favorite things on Land-before he pushes himself up to a sitting position and takes in the rest of the room.

There are numerable paintings in this place as well, a few being of Derek’s family and podmates, but the ones that adorn his walls have creatures that Stiles has never heard of and-worryingly-what looks like a _skull_ above his bed! Perhaps it is there as a warning to predators and other creatures that might bother Derek as he sleeps…?

Nevertheless, there are many strange and wondrous things that Stiles would happily spent hours examining and learning about if given the time, so in the end he simply says, “You have a really nice room! There are so many things here that I- _AH-CHOO_!”

Derek’s gaze darts up from his box-thing with more of the ‘pants’ that he usually wears in his hands, his eyes wide as he looks over Stiles in concern. “Are you okay?”

“I-I think so?” Stiles stammers, blinking as a strange sensation builds up in his nose again, making his eyesight blur like that time he got smacked in the face by Iska’s tail. “That has never happened to me before, so I’m not sure if- _AH-CHOO_!”

“Sounds like you _did_ get a bit of a cold,” Derek states, walking over to Stiles and placing a hand on his forehead, a deep frown pulling his brows together. “You don’t feel like you have a fever, but it sounds like you need some tissues. Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Setting the pants next Stiles, Derek exits the room and closes the door, leaving Stiles nothing more to do than to sniff a few times and take another look around Derek’s room.

His eyes are immediately drawn to a small gathering of items on the box-thing that Derek was digging through; there are a few seashells and coral sitting amid a picture of Derek’s podmates, but what really catches Stiles’ attention is the fact that the bracelet he gave Derek after their first meeting in sitting in a place of honor right under the painting.

While he is flattered that his gift is so obviously important to Derek, Stiles can’t help the stab of disappointment that hits him when he doesn’t see the Intended bracelet also sitting on this box-thing with the rest of the trinkets that hold so much value for Derek…

He doesn’t have long to linger on those thoughts, because Derek is entering the room again with some sort of white cloth that he places in Stiles hands with a quiet, “Here, use this.” before going back to his search for new clothes for Stiles to wear.

Stiles is just about to ask what he’s supposed to do with the item Derek gave him when another of those weird sensations pinch at his nose and he automatically brings the cloth to his face, the noise he can’t help but make muffled in the cloth as he does so.

Ah! He knows what these are now! He has seen Landers use these a few times, especially younger ones with help with their parents, and he blows his nose into the tissue before looking around for one of those ‘trash can’ things that are usually located at the end of beaches.

Seeing one at the other end of the room, granted smaller than what he’s used to, Stiles grins as this also lets him try something he has seen the humans do; taking careful aim, he tosses the wadded cloth toward the can, chuckling when it manages to fall inside.

“Hey, ten points!” Derek laughs as well, seeming to have found clothing to his satisfaction, grinning as Stiles turns his head toward him. “I found some clothes that would probably fit you better, so I’m going to leave for a bit while you get dressed, okay?”

Stiles frowns at this, a little confused by the red flush that has covered Derek’s face. Perhaps he has caught a cold, too? “But you helped me with the clothes I’m wearing now, why would you need to leave before I can wear those ones?”

The redness on Derek’s face is now traveling down his neck, but before Stiles can expression his own concern for his friend’s well-being, Derek is speaking again, “Well, last time I was more concerned about getting you into dry clothing than to worry about… anything else. The clothes I gave you were a lot looser as well, and these are… well, it’s just something that we do, okay?”

“I wasn’t trying to be difficult…” Stiles states, his gaze dropping to his lap at the tenseness that has entered Derek’s voice, a stinging sensation in the middle of his chest he can’t help but rub at.

He knows that there are many differences between Aquatics and Landers, but Derek’s always been happy to point out where Stiles is a little off or even completely wrong on something, so this must be something that should have been obvious and he’s made Derek uncomfortable by not knowing.

“No, it’s not that…” There’s a bit of silence, before Derek’s hands are covering the one that Stiles has clenched in his lap, a small smile on his face that tells Stiles he didn’t screw up too badly before he continues. “It’s just that… it’s that we usually don’t- well, _I_  usually don’t try to be naked around people unless I really trust them… or am in an intimate relationship with them.”

“But I _do_ trust you…” Stiles isn’t feeling any better about his misstep and the thought that he might be the only one that feels something between them makes his voice a whisper when he asks, “Is that why you don’t have the bracelet I gave you anymore?”

“What?”

Stiles nods towards Derek’s collection, unable to raise his gaze any further as he asks, “I saw the Pod-Friend bracelet I gave you, but the other one, my…”

He can’t say anything else, can’t name it in the fear of making this all that much more real, but there is an arm in front of him, Derek pulling back the material of his sweater to show off Stiles’ Intended bracelet shining on his wrist as brightly as the day he gave it to the werewolf.

“I’ve been wearing it ever since you gave it to me, the only reason I took off the other one was because the string was getting frayed and I didn’t want to lose it.” Derek’s voice is low and steady, making Stiles relax with each word and allowing him to finally raise his head to meet Derek’s gaze.

“So, why…?”

The redness is fading, but still there at tips of Derek’s ears as he answers, “I don’t know what we are to each other, what with everything that has happened, and I want to make sure we’re on the same page before anything happens. So, you being here and naked, in my bed… it’s… it’s…”

“It’s important, isn’t it?” Stiles can now understand what it was that Derek was feeling; it wasn’t uncomfortableness, but _embarrassment_ because Stiles had unknowingly stumbled on a Lander Courting ritual and he was trying to skip some of the steps.

Just because they had almost finished an Aquatic Courting-the sharing of both their homes and eating a meal together-doesn’t necessarily mean that there were at the same place per Lander customs. Stiles finds himself wishing he had found more books about those customs, instead of the ones about different Lander continents, as they could’ve avoided this whole thing.

Still, Derek looks relieved that Stiles has finally realized what the issue was and it already moving toward the door with a small nod. “I’m just going to wait out in the hall for a moment, call when you’re done, or need any help.”

Stiles nods back, waiting until Derek had closed the door to his room before pushing the pants that he was wearing off his legs, wriggling a little on the bed at first to get them past his hips.

With that out of the way, Stiles looks over the clothes that Derek laid out for him, his brow wrinkling as he comes across a bit of a problem. “Hey, Derek? Why are there two different kinds of pants here?”

There is a thump from the other side of the door, but before Stiles has time to worry, Derek’s voice is coming through the door. “Those are called underwear, Stiles, we wear them as an added level of protection for our… more sensitive parts.”

“Ooooh, I see now.” Stiles had wondered about that, as his genitals had been encased in a pouch when he had a tail, where they now seemed to be allowed to move much more freely as a human. It was smart of them to make their own pouches to protect themselves, and helped show the importance of nakedness in Lander Courting.

It takes a bit more wriggling around, but Stiles manages to get both the ‘underwear’ and the pants on, but he hesitates at the shirt for a moment. He likes the softness of his sweater, with the way it seems to completely envelop his torso, but the color of the shirt reminds him of his tail and it makes him wonder if Derek chose this one on purpose…

  
  
  


In the end, he decides to wear the shirt, as it might be another part of Lander Courting and the _last_ thing that Stiles wants to do is make it seem like he is refusing Derek. He forgets sometimes that Derek is just as unknowing of Stiles’ customs as he is of Derek’s, which means he’s going to have to tell Derek just _why_ the bracelet he gave him is so important soon.

 _ **But later**_ , Stiles thinks as he calls for Derek, **_we need to focus on finding and rescuing Scott now, we can figure out how to make this relationship between us work after Scott is safe._**

Derek smiles as he looks over Stiles’ form, making him glad that he decided to wear the shirt, before Derek asks, “Do you think you want to try walking around again?”

“I… um, I did while I was trying to dress.” Stiles shrugs, rubbing at the back of his neck as he gives Derek a sheepish smile, feeling like a youngling as he admits, “I’m still not very good at it, could barely balance enough to put my pants on, and it made dressing a little difficult.”

“It’s okay, Stiles, I know you’re trying.” Derek moves over to Stiles and easily lifts the merman into his arms, “It’s not like you don’t have someone who can carry you around, after all.”

The words are said with a bit of a tease in them, but it just makes Stiles feel guilty as he thinks of everything Derek has done for him ever since he got his legs.

“I’m sorry…”

Derek pauses before they enter a room that has delicious smells coming from it. “For what?”

“If I knew that you had to carry me everywhere… I really thought that I could-“

“Hey,” Derek’s grip on him tightens for a moment as he makes Stiles meet his gaze, “It’s alright, Stiles. Besides, you’re not that heavy, anyway.”

“Well, that’s probably because the boy hasn’t eaten anything in a while,” comes Bruce’s booming voice, making both Derek and Stiles jump before the man is poking his head through the door, lasagna in hand and frowning. “Wait, why can’t the boy walk? Derek, what did you do?”

“It wasn’t my fault! He did this to himself!”

Bruce’s gaze sweeps back to Stiles, one brow raised in a way that Derek has used before to imply that he’s thinking Stiles is being ridiculous, and it just makes Stiles laugh a little bit as Derek brings him into a place that seems to be for the eating of meals.

“You look just like Derek when you do that!”

“I tell him that all the time,” A beautiful woman with Derek’s smile and dark hair gets up from her seat to meet them, passing by Bruce as he sets the table, her eyes twinkling as she places a hand on Stiles’ cheek. “Going by what my son has said, you must be the merman whose friend he’s helping save. Stiles, was it? I’m Talia, Derek’s Alpha and mother, it’s nice to meet you.”

She flashes red eyes at him and caresses his cheek a bit before going back to her seat, right as Bruce snaps his fingers and grins at them in a way that has Stiles worrying for a moment.

“So that’s why you smell of the sea!” He gives his son a wink before adding, “Or, I should say, why you _both_ smell like the sea.”

“Dad!”

“Bruce, stop torturing your son and let them sit down.” Talia reprimands her husband with a fond smile that has Stiles fighting off a pang of homesickness as he remembers his mother doing the same thing to his father. “I’m sure they had a long day; after all, it’s not every day that I meet a merman with legs!”

Derek places Stiles down near the head of the table, taking a seat beside him as Bruce takes a seat at the head, Talia to his right. Stiles waits a moment, looking down the length of the table, before he must ask, “Will it be only us eating?”

“What’s that, dear?” Talia asks as she’s scooping something that looks absolutely delicious onto her plate, Derek and Bruce seeming to have an argument over what was considered a proper portion of something called ‘garlic bread’.

“I was just wondering where everyone else was?” Stiles shifts as Derek and Bruce seemed to have finished their discussion just in time to catch his question. “It’s just… Derek had said that he had sisters? I thought that…”

“Oh, they aren’t avoiding you, if that was what you were wondering,” Talia is quick to reassure, passing him the food as she claims the garlic bread from her squabbling family, “They’re at their Uncle’s right now, and they’re letting the rest of the family know about the Argents. We might need a bit of help when we find your friend.”

Stiles swallows, worried that he might have dragged Derek into something that he never would have if left to his own devices, worried that getting Scott back might mean someone in this family getting _hurt_ , that it means _Derek_ would- “I don’t want to be a bother…”

“Nonsense.” Talia’s voice brooks no argument, Derek and Bruce straightening at her tone as she continues, “The Argents used to be… not peaceful, but they had a Code and kept to it for generations. I don’t know what made them break it, but the selling of our fellow Shifter Kin is not something I will turn a blind eye to, no matter if you had brought it to my attention or if I found out myself.”

Nodding, Stiles tries to distract himself from the lump in his throat by serving himself some of the food that Talia set in front of him, but working the utensils is a bit harder than he thought.

“Here, let me help.” Derek pushes back from the table and moves over to Stiles’ side, showing him how to serve himself and the proper way to hold his ‘fork’ as well. Stiles gives him a smile in thanks, a warm feeling in his stomach when Derek returns it.

“He’s such a sweet boy, isn’t he, Bruce?”

“Of course, _you_ raised him to be, sweetheart.”

“No, I think that particular sweetness came from _you_ , honey.”

“Oh my Goddess, can you two _please_ stop?” Derek growls, moving back to his own seat, a bright flush burning his cheeks as he stabs at his food with a viciousness that would make Stiles worry if he didn’t know that it was due to embarrassment instead of anger.

“Why? I would think you would be pleased that we were talking about how nice you are…” Off the dark look Derek gives her, Talia raises her hands in surrender, a grin crossing her face that even Stiles can see spells trouble for Derek as she asks, “Well, since you’re going to be teaching Stiles how to walk, maybe we can bring out the video of how you-”

“ **Mom**!”

“Well, then the pictures will have to-”

“ _Absolutely_ _not_!”

Stiles hides his laughter in a bite of the lasagna, which quickly turns into a moan as he hurriedly swallows to add another bite, drawing the attention of the entire table when he groans in delight.

“Good, huh?” Bruce asks, a smug grin on his face that has Derek rolling his eyes as his father continues, “It’s my own recipe, well, really a family recipe that I played with a little bit.”

“It’s delicious! As good as curly fries!”

“…curly fries…?”

  


Stiles looks up to catch Bruce looking absolutely _devastated_ and that feeling from earlier, that he messed up something that should’ve been obvious, hits him again. It makes the food he’s eaten feel like a boulder in his stomach as he asks, “D-did I say something wrong…?”

“No, it’s fine.” Derek gives him a quick smile before turning back to his father, whose staring at the opposite wall muttering, “Curly fries… As good as curly fries…” under his breath. “It’s a compliment, Dad, I swear…”

Derek quickly launches into the story of sharing food with Stiles, while he finds himself wishing he could walk again, but this time it’s because the feeling of wanting to get away from the room as fast as he can be making his throat close.

As Derek gets to the end of his story, Talia reaches over to where Stiles is sitting to place a hand on his shoulder, which makes him look up at her as she says, “It sounds like curly fries where the best thing you’ve ever eaten.”

“Yes…?” Stiles is cautiously hopeful he didn’t mess up again when she smiles at him, her hand giving his shoulder a quick squeeze.

“So I can see how that would be the _highest of compliments_ ,” Talia puts a strange emphasis on her words as she gives her husband a significant look, making Bruce straighten from his slumped position and resume eating.

“Merpeople food must be horrible…”

“Well, he _did_ try to feed me a jellyfish once, so I’d have to agree with you on that one.” Derek smiles as he makes his way back to his seat, giving Stiles a playful wink.

“Hey!” Stiles returns Derek’s wink with a glare that could rival the ones that he usually got from his father. “Those are considered a _delicacy_ among my people! You should be _grateful_ that I wanted to share that with you! Do you know how hard those are to catch?!?”

“Well, I’m sorry that I couldn’t appreciate that, seeing as they’re considered _extremely poisonous_ among my people!”

“How was _I_ supposed to know that?!?”

“I don’t know, maybe _ask_ me?”

“It was supposed to be a _surprise_ ; I couldn’t just _ask_ you!”

The tense mood from the table dissipates as Derek and Stiles continue to playfully bicker, Bruce’s mood improving when Stiles says that he’s going to compare everything to his cooking from now on, and it’s a generally cheery affair by the time the last bite has been eaten and the dishes have been put away to soak.

“Now, to break out the baby album…”

“ _ **MOM**_!”

“But you were such a beautiful baby, Derek!”

“I bet you were the sweetest.”

“See? Stiles agrees with me!”

“ ** _STILES_**! _Don’t encourage her_!”

 

\---------------------

**Author's Note:**

> [Welsh Woman](http://welshwoman1988.tumblr.com/) & [Cofie](http://littlecofiegirl.tumblr.com) @ Tumblr


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